A Medication Reconciliation Educational Intervention To Improve Medication Adherence In A Medically Underserved Population: A Pilot Study
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Statement of Problem: Medication non-adherence is a significant problem in health care because medications are critical to care. Medication non-adherence causes about 10% of hospitalizations (Mann, 2009); and since 2001 has caused 1.1 million deaths in the U.S. (New England Health Institute, 2009). Significant to public health is the impact this problem has in medically underserved adults who lack finances, health insurance, and have inadequate access to health care (Jackson, 2011). According to the literature, individual barriers exist (Bohlman, 2004). A patient???s ability to adhere is dependent on their personal struggles, perceptions, personal choice to adhere, and patterned behaviors. Data links patient medication reconciliation, adhering aiding tools, and education with decreased outpatient visits and hospitalizations at a cost to savings ratio ~1:10 with long-term results (National Council on Patient Information and Education, 2007). Educational interventions addressing disease/medication knowledge, medication safety, and self-management are effective in improving adherence (Bohlman, 2004). Limited evidence exists on the benefits of such interventions in the medically underserved. Additional research needs to test the utility and efficiency of this intervention in the medically underserved.\n\nSources of data: A convenience sample of medically underserved adults seeking healthcare at a free clinic project, in a small coastal community in southern California, will provide data. A questionnaire adapted from the 2010 U.S. Census will serve to collect descriptive and representative data of the sample. A medication record review will help compare the prescribed medications to actual medications taken; a Medication Discrepancy Tool will serve to document then report discrepancies found (Smith, Coleman, Min, 2004). A manual pill count will provide a ratio measure of adherence, both pre and post intervention. Finally, a Medicine Knowledge Assessment form will help to identify gaps in knowledge.\n\nConclusion: Findings of this quasi-experimental one group pretest post-test pilot study is expected to show that improving the patient???s medication and disease education, tailoring medication routines, and improving self-management skills will increase adherence.\n\nKey words: Medication Reconciliation, Medication Discrepancies, Adherence/Non-Adherence, Medication Communication, Health Literacy, Self-Management, Medically Underserved
Author: Virgie Stella Delgado
Language: English
Subfield: Family Practice
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2476469140